On Jeopardy the other
night, the final question was How many steps does the guard take during his walk
across the tomb of the Unknowns ------ All three missed it --- This is really an
awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance Very
fascinating.Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier

How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns
and why?21 steps. It alludes
to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the high est honor given
any military or foreign dignitary.

How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and
why?21 seconds for the
same reason as answer number 1

Why are his gloves wet?His gloves are
moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the
rifle.

Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why
not?He carries the rifle
on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march
across the path, he executes an about faceand moves the r ifle
to the outside shoulder.

How often are the guards changed?Guards
are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four
hours a day, 365 days a year.

What are the physical traits of the guard limited
to?For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he
must be between 5' 10' and 6' 2' tall and his waist size
cannot exceed 30.' Other requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years
of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot
drink any alcohol on or off duty for
the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform
{fighting} or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath
pin that is worn on < FONT face=Verdana
color=black size=4>their lapel signifying they served as guard of the
tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules
for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin. The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to
keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates
that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as
they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform.
Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror. The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to
anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175
notable people laid to rest in Arlington NationalCemetery
. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are:
President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie
Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywoodfame. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his
uniforms ready for guard duty.

ETERNAL
REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON
THEM.In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington
, DC
, our US
Senate/House took 2 days off with anticip ation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the
dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of
guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend
the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, 'No way, Sir!'
Soaked to the skin, marchin g in the pelting rain of a tropical storm,
they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the
highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been
patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.